The Fame (album)
For other uses, see The Fame (disambiguation). |Producers = RedOne, Rob Fusari, Martin Kierszenbaum, Space Cowboy, KNS Productions |MiX = | Last album = | This album = '' '' | Next album = '' '' |Artist = Lady Gaga }} The Fame is the debut album by Lady Gaga. The album was first released in Canada on August 19, 2008 by Interscope Records. The main theme of the songs is about how anyone can feel famous like a celebrity. On December 2, 2009, The Fame was nominated for six Grammy Awards and won Best Dance Recording for "Poker Face". The album was nominated for Album of the Year, and won the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards. On February 26, 2010, The Fame went Diamond (signifying over 10 million albums sold) selling around 12 million copies world wide. On February 16, 2010, it won Best International Album at the 2010 BRIT Awards. On July 7th, 2010, The Fame became the best selling album in U.S. digital music history. Writing and Development : Main article: The Fame (booklet) The writing of the album took around two years and a half and started in 2006. Some of the songs from the album come from her work with various producers (RedOne, Rob Fusari, KNS Productions) in 2006-2007 and the other half with her work after being signed to Interscope Records (Martin Kierszenbaum, RedOne). The songs are mostly inspired by Gaga's love of fame in general, and deals with the intricacies of a rich and famous lifestyle, visualized by her. Musically, the album drew inspiration from '80s electropop and synthpop while incorporating dance music and clear hooks. In regards to the title and concept of the album, Lady Gaga explained, "The Fame is about how anyone can feel famous. Pop culture is art. It doesn't make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it's a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle." :"I just feel like this record is really different- you've got club bangers to more 70s glam to more singer-songwriter records to rock music. ... The Fame is not about who you are—it's about how everybody wants to know who you are! Buy it and listen to it before you go out or in the car. ... I think you've really got to allow artists' creativity to marinate. It took me a while but really delving into myself I finally got it. I couldn't be more proud of it. It's not just a record, it's a whole pop art movement. It's not just about one song." Composition Musically, the album drew influences from late 1970s glam rock musicians such as David Bowie and Queen. Gaga incorporated their glam-rock sound while devising catchy pop melodies and hooks to create what she has dubbed, "theatrical pop". Songs like "Poker Face", "Just Dance" and "LoveGame" are uptempo dance songs, with "Poker Face" carrying a dark sound with clear vocals on the chorus and a pop hook. "Just Dance" is synth-based while "LoveGame" has a more dance-oriented beat, and "Money Honey" has a moderate techno groove. All of them combined synths of clipped marching beats, sawing electronics and contained mild R&B-infused beats. "Paparazzi" carried a sultry beat while "Summerboy" had influences of the music of Blondie". "Eh, Eh" is credited as a ballad compared to the rest of the dance-fueled tracks from The Fame. The song has an eighties synth pop feeling in it while incorporating the "Eh, Eh" hook from Rihanna's single "Umbrella" (2007). Lyrically, the songs on The Fame talk about being famous and achieving popularity. "Poker Face" is about sexual innuendo and teasing.Gaga explained in an interview with the Daily Star that the lyrics carry a bit of an undertone of confusion about love and sex. "Just Dance" talks about being intoxicated in a party, with lyrics like "What's going on on the floor? / I love this record, baby but I can't see straight anymore". "LoveGame" portrays a message about love, fame and sexuality which is akin to the central theme of album."Paparazzi" portrays a stalker who is following somebody being his or her biggest fan. The lyrics also portray the desire of capturing the attention of the camera as well as achieving fame. In an interview with MTV UK Lady Gaga explained about The Fame:In an interview with MTV Gaga explained about The Fame: :"This idea of 'The Fame' runs through and through. Basically, if you have nothing—no money, no fame—you can still feel beautiful and dirty rich. It's about making choices, and having references—things you pull from your life that you believe in. It's about self-discovery and being creative. The record is slightly focused, but it's also eclectic. The music is intended to inspire people to feel a certain way about themselves, so they'll be able to encompass, in their own lives, a sense of inner fame that they can project to the world, and the carefree nature of the album is a reflection of that aura. I like to funnel interesting ideas to the rest of the world through a pop lens." Critical reception | rev2 = BBC Online | rev2Score =(favorable) | rev3 =''The Boston Globe'' | rev3Score =(favorable) | rev4 =''Entertainment Weekly'' | rev4Score =(B−) | rev5 =''The Guardian'' | rev5Score = | rev6 =''Houston Chronicle'' | rev6Score = | rev7 =''The Phoenix'' | rev7Score = | rev8 = PopMatters | rev8Score =(7/10) | rev9 = Slant Magazine | rev9Score = | rev10 =''Washington Post'' | rev10Score = (unfavorable) }} The album received mostly positive reviews, with critics commending Gaga's ability to discover a melodious hook and comparing her vocal abilities to those of Gwen Stefani. The album went to number-one in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland. In the United States the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart. Worldwide, the album has sold over eight million copies. It earned a collective score of 71 out of 100 from Metacritic. Matthew Chisling from Allmusic stated, "Fueled by heavy dance tracks and popping electronic beats, The Fame ... is a well-crafted sampling of feisty anti-pop in high quality. ... Lady Gaga pulls out all the stops on The Fame, injecting hard-hitting synthesizers and crashing slicks and grooves. From its opening track until it closes, The Fame fails to come up short on funky sounds to amuse fans of this dance genre." Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly gave The Fame a B−, saying that "The Fame is remarkably (and exhaustingly) pure in its vision of a world in which nothing trumps being beautiful, dirty, and rich. In this economy, though, her high-times escapism has its charms". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian complimented Gaga for being good at melodies. According to him "The Fame arrives packing an immensely addictive melody or an inescapable hook, virtually everything sounds like another hit single ...The Fame certainly sounds like it could be big." Evan Sawdey of PopMatters criticised songs like "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (song)|Eh, Eh (Nothing Else i Can Say)]]", "Paper Gangsta" and "Brown Eyes" while complimenting the rest, calling it a solid dance album. Joey Guerra from the Houston Chronicle commented that although the songs present in the album are not innovative, Gaga deserved credit for bringing real dance music to the mass. Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club and Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine compared Gaga's vocals with that of Gwen Stefani. Koski said that the album is "fueled by a glitter-laced, dance-inciting energy that bodes well for extended club play, which is really the whole point." Cinquemani said that "Gaga's lyrics alternate between cheap ... and nonsensical drivel ..., and her vocal performances are uneven at best ... the songs that work, include "Poker Face", "Stastruck", "Paper Gangsta" and "Summerboy"— rest almost solely on their snappy production and sing-along hooks." Freedom du Lac from The Washington Post criticised the album for lacking originality. Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe wrote that "at first blush, Lady GaGa's frothy disco confections could easily be mistaken for the mindless booty bait dangled by, say, the Pussycat Dolls. ... But listen a little closer to the sly, snarky lyrics and glam grooves on this feisty debut and you'll hear that this former downtown New York spice girl has at least a few things on her dirty mind." Critic Robert Christgau said that the album was "shallowness at its most principled." Daniel Brockman from The Phoenix, noted that in the album "Gaga ups the ante in terms of catchy songwriting and sheer high-in-the-club-banging-to-the-beat abandon." The Fame garnered five Grammy nominations at the 52nd Grammy Awards on December 2, 2009. The album itself was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Electronic/Dance Album. Singles Just Dance "Just Dance" was released as the album's lead single commercially worldwide on June 17, 2008, through digital distribution. The song was critically appreciated with reviewers complimenting its club anthem-like nature and the synth pop associated with it. It achieved commercial success by topping charts in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. The song received a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance Recording category but lost to electronic duo Daft Punk for their song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Poker Face "Poker Face" was released as the second single from the album. It was also well-received by the critics, most of whom have praised the robotic hook and the chorus. The single achieved greater success than "Just Dance" by topping the charts in almost all the countries it was released to. "Poker Face" became Gaga's second consecutive number one on the Hot 100. On December 2, 2009, "Poker Face" received three Grammy nominations in the categories of Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and won for Best Dance Recording. Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" was the album's third single in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark and fourth in France. The song received mixed reviews. Some critics compared it to nineties Europop while the others criticized it for bringing the party-like nature of the album to a halt and thus being an embarrassment to the album. It failed to match the success of the previous singles in Australia and New Zealand by reaching fifteen and nine respectively. It peaked at two in Sweden and at seven in France. LoveGame "LoveGame" was released as the third single in the United States, Canada and some European nations. It was the fourth single in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The song was critically appreciated for its catchy tune and the "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick" hook. The song has reached the top ten in countries such as the United States, Australia and Canada and the top twenty in others. Paparazzi "Paparazzi" was announced as the third single in the United Kingdom and Ireland with a release date of July 6, 2009, the fourth single in the United States, and the fifth single in the rest of the nations. The song has reached the top five in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The song has been appreciated for its fun-filled, club-friendly nature and is deemed the most memorable and telling song from the album. The associated music video for the song was shot as a mini-movie with Gaga starring as a doomed starlet who is almost killed by her boyfriend, but in the end takes her revenge and reclaims her fame and popularity. Promotion : See also: Live Performances, New Kids on the Block:Live, Doll Domination Tour, The Fame Ball Tour To promote the album, Gaga did several performances worldwide. Her first televised appearance was on Logo's NewNowNext Awards on June 7, 2008. She also performed on So You Think You Can Dance, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno She performed in Vietnam for the 57th Miss Universe beauty pageant during the swimsuit competition. On January 31, 2009, she performed on television in Ireland on RTÉ One's show Tubridy Tonight. Three songs off The Fame were used in The CW's series Gossip Girl: "Paparazzi" in the episode "Summer, Kind of Wonderful", "Poker Face" in "The Serena Also Rises", and "Money Honey" in "Remains of the J". Gaga also performed "Poker Face" on American Idol on April 1, 2009. To celebrate the launch of the show Dirty Sexy Money, ABC created a music video of Gaga's song "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich", directed by Melina Matsoukas. It was initially announced as Gaga's second single, but "Poker Face" was chosen instead.88 There were two videos released for the song – the first was composed of clips from Dirty Sexy Money, and the second was the actual music video. The song charted on the UK Singles Chart due to digital downloads and peaked at number eighty-three. The album received further promotion from her first headlining concert tour The Fame Ball Tour, which started on March 12, 2009 in San Diego, California. It was Gaga's first concert tour with North American shows in March, followed by dates in Oceania and a solo trek through Europe. Dates in Asia soon followed, as well as two performances at England's V Festival and two shows in North America that had been postponed from April. Gaga described the tour as a traveling museum show incorporating artist Andy Warhol's pop-performance art concept. Tickets were distributed for charity also. Alternate versions of the show with minimal variations were planned by Gaga to accommodate different venues. The show consisted of four segments, with each segment being followed by a video interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore. The set list consisted of songs from The Fame only. Gaga appeared on the stage in new costumes including an innovative dress made entirely of bubbles and premiered an unreleased song called "Future Love". An alternate set list with minor changes were performed for European dates. The show has received positive critical appreciation with critics complimenting her vocal clarity and fashion sense as well as her ability to pull off theatrics like a professional artist. Artwork The official album artwork for "The Fame" features Lady Gaga's face, with her Crystal Glasses and Disco Stick. Gaga has said that she wanted to portray the look of an already established artist, as she had been making music for a long time prior to her album release. The cover has been compared to an old Italian Vogue magazine from the 70s to 80s, and expresses the idea of bringing back the concept of fame. TheFame_CoverArtwork.png|©2008 Pieter Henket, original photo before the modifications. TheFame.jpg|©2008 Pieter Henket, Official Blue cover. TheFame(RED).jpg|©2008 Pieter Henket, the Red version released in the US only. Track listings The track listing of "The Fame" was intended to have a different song for the eighth track on each different localized version. "Money Honey" appeared on the Canadian version, "Starstruck" appeared on the US version, and the European release included "Vanity". However, she later released a revised edition with a modified track listing in the US on October 28, 2008 and in some countries where the album had not yet been released. A third version was released in Ireland and the UK on January 9 and 12, 2009, with a few further modifications to the track listing. As an exclusive to the online music store Rhapsody, "Vanity" was included on the third edition as an exclusive download single. First Edition (2008) *This version was released in Canada, some European countries and Australia in 2008. *This was the only edition with the original long introduction in the song "Money Honey". *The ending of "LoveGame" on this track was different to that included in other releases. *"I Like It Rough" was available on the iTunes store as a bonus track in Canada, Mexico, Australia and selected European countries. Track list #Just Dance (featuring Colby O'Donis) #LoveGame #Paparazzi #Beautiful, Dirty, Rich #Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) #Poker Face #The Fame #Money Honey #Again Again #Boys Boys Boys #Brown Eyes #Summerboy #I Like It Rough (Bonus Track) Second Edition (2009) *For the US release of the album, the text "LADY GAGA" was colored in red rather than blue and the image had a slight red tint. *The track "Again Again" is removed, while 2 new songs are added (Starstruck and Paper Gangsta), and I Like It Rough is a standard track rather than a bonus track. *LoveGame is slightly remixed. *Money Honey has a shortened introduction. Track list #Just Dance (featuring Colby O'Donis) #LoveGame #Paparazzi #Poker Face #Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) #Beautiful, Dirty, Rich #The Fame #Money Honey #Starstruck (featuring Flo Rida and Space Cowboy) #Boys Boys Boys #Paper Gangsta #Brown Eyes #I Like It Rough #Summerboy Third Edition (2009) Released in 2009, the third and final edition of The Fame was released in the UK, Ireland, and Japan. This final track listing contains all the tracks from the first and second editions, as well as "Disco Heaven", which was included on neither. The tracks also are in a significantly different order to that on either of the first two versions. The track listing on this edition is very similar to the track listing of the bonus disc of The Fame in the deluxe editions of The Fame Monster. *The UK release of the third edition includes the Space Cowboy remix of "LoveGame" as an enhanced bonus track. *The Japanese edition included "Retro Dance Freak" and no enhanced content. Track list #Just Dance (featuring Colby O'Donis) #LoveGame #Paparazzi #Poker Face #I Like It Rough #Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) #Starstruck (featuring Flo Rida and Space Cowboy) #Beautiful, Dirty, Rich #The Fame #Money Honey #Boys Boys Boys #Paper Gangsta #Brown Eyes #Summerboy #Disco Heaven (Bonus Track) #Again Again (Bonus Track) Release history :Main article: List of international editions of The Fame. Category:Albums Category:The Fame